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Thursday, May 31, 2012

It is a sad day around here. The perennial underdog of Fantasyland, Snow White's Scary Adventure is closing. Though the rope has yet to drop, and the day has yet to begin, it appears that this attraction will shutter with little fanfare.
There are no "Toad Ins" ala Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, no Facebook page to "Save Snow," even Twitter is relatively calm about this one. (and people on twitter get upset about EVERYTHING.) But, I'm here to officially state that I am extremely heartbroken and upset. I'm sure I'll carry this sense of ennui with me every time I walk past that corner of the Magic Kingdom. This is not out of shear love for the attraction, but for a few reasons.
First of all, this will leave Fantasyland with TWO dark rides! Where did our Fantasyland go wrong? Disneyland has five...each better than the last! (plus, Winnie The Pooh in Critter Country.) I know that the little mermaid attraction is opening later in the year, but still. I don't think the valuable "castle interior space" should be taken up by anything other than dark rides. The logic here is so simple, yet imagineers have never made this work. Why is Sleeping Beauty Castle SO SMALL and manages to hold FIVE dark rides, and Cinderella Castle is gigantic and only holds two? Really...this just doesn't make sense.
Then of course, there is the nostalgia factor. Though my love and obsession for Disney Parks is as big as they get, I'm still relatively new to the game. (first trip as an adult was 2006.) Because my fandom has grown in a relatively quiet time for the parks, the closing of Snow Whites Scary Adventure will be the first considerable closure for me. I can't even fathom my park experience without seeing the evil queen change from beautiful to an old hag in the mirror...or Dopey waving goodbye to me, or even those logs that look like alligators. I'm going to miss the ride vehicles, and how they always hurt my bottom. (I always wanted to get the Sneezy car."
I'm going to miss a lot of things about this attraction. I could keep going, but for the sake of my teary eyes I need to stop. I'm jealous of everybody down there, able to ride one more time. If anyone wants to send me photos via twitter, that would be awesome.
Goodbye Snow. :(

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Here is another small but significant way that Disneyland trumps the Magic Kingdom. Plants. I know everyone mentions how quaint DL feels and how that feeling is mostly brought on by the fact that there are TREES in the park. And how silly does that sound? Yes, there are trees in MK, but by comparison they are rather puny and on the outskirts of the park...simply due to the extensive system of utilidors directly below the most magical place on earth.
So that explains why there are no trees. great, wonderful. But why have our (we've actually started referring to WDW as our and DL as their...we know its dorky, and not endearing at all, but we probably never will change it. ) parks been neglected the delicate and wonderful gardening that Disneyland has been bestowed? It seems like everywhere you look is a beautiful, interesting, well maintained potted plant. My affinity for Disney plants goes back quite a while.
Some of the best examples of this well done extensive theming is at Rancho Del Zocalo, a wonderful Mexican counter service restaurant at Disneyland. Here are a few examples of their wonderful succulent collection:

Welcome to another long overdue edition of Animation Appreciation. In this series we discuss aesthetics of classic and sometimes forgotten Disney short cartoons.
Today we're taking a closer look at the stylized wonder of Pigs Is Pigs. Produced by Disney in 1954and directed by Disney vet Jack Kinney, this film fits very strangely into the jigsaw puzzle of classic shorts.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Thanks to honorary Disney Hipster Julia, for contributing this image of the awesome signage from the Norway pavilions ladies room. I'd mentioned yesterday that I was too sheepish to wander over there and take a picture. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd ever even seen this. Just wonderful.

2009 seems like such a long time ago. We had just started ramping up our Disney trips from five days to about eight...and from two times a year to four. It was around this time that we discovered the value in being early risers, and actually making it to the parks before opening. (aka, a rope drop.) In true Disney Hipster fashion, we've started taking this very seriously, like our lives depend on successful rope drops.
Here are some silly pictures from our very first rope drop ever, at the Magic Kingdom!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is a beautiful resort, and though it doesn't match the over the top extensive theming of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I'm starting to realize that is exactly the point. The decor is few and far between, but the pieces tend to be really neat-o.
Here are two porcelain birds located on the Downtown Disney side of the lobby. The photos make them look kind of small, but they are at least a foot and a half tall.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

So after posting about my new favorite thing Shrunken Ned, Jungle Witch Doctor, I decided to actually read a little bit about him. Upon doing so I quickly realized (aka, I read it on wikipedia) that Mr. Ned was voiced by total badass former imagineer Eddie Sotto.
In addition to large contributions to the company, Sotto was responsible for Shrunken Ned, and Aladdin's Other Lamp. The lamp was a mystery to me, and apparently right around the corner from Ned...though I didn't notice it. He also was the (lead?) voice of Radio Toon Town...which I always get a kick out of.

I should also mention that Eddie Sotto had something or other to do with Mission Space, which just goes to show that regardless of how awesome you are, everyone makes mistakes. :)

When the Enchanted Tiki Room was refurbished last year, and finally returned to "old management" I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed this attraction. I had never seen the original and was overwhelmed with the delightful campiness of it all. One big surprise was the song "Lets All Sing Like The Birdies Sing." Though truncated in the Florida version, this song is just wonderful. As it turns out it is also a cover. Here are some terrific versions of this now classic "Disney song."

Monday, May 21, 2012

Holy Moley... It is a very gross rainy day in New Jersey, but this video managed to turn my frown upside down. I love character knock offs. There is something very Henry Darger about the whole idea of reappropriating characters for random bizarre uses. :)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Yes, I'm a big fat creep. See what happens when you try to capture every second...you end up being a big weirdo.

This was our first character meal, and we enjoyed the ambiance and interactions quite a bit. Was it worth the hefty price for breakfast? Maybe not. The fact is we don't really eat breakfast, so the excitement of waffles is really lost on us. Here are a few pictures from the experience that are a little less creep-tastic than my video footage:

Friday, May 18, 2012

While Adam was grabbing an ice cream cone, I snapped a few photos on the walkway between Paradise Pier and Pacific Wharf. These billboards fit well within the theme, while being ads at the same time! Way to go imagineers! :/

These billboards are like, what, 14 feet long? I used an awesome scanning app on my phone to capture them. Also, I love the Between Sun and Sky line on the Paradise pier board. Was/is that the motto of the land? I really think that it's perfect and pretty.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Here is our fun gift to ourselves for our anniversary! We had sweet little Noreen from Main Street at Disneyland cut out our silhouettes! Yay! Though we had this done five or six years ago at Disney World (downtown?) we wanted to capture this special occasion. (and my particularly fabulous hair...)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

One thing they take very seriously at The Grand Californian is pool security. The relative ease of using resort pools at WDW makes this look like a maximum security prison. All the added paranoia is with good reason though...as there are SO MANY people passing through this resort who are NOT staying there. (this was a huge downfall in my book...) Also, why on earth does the pool close at 10:00??!!! I'm on vacation, and the parks are closed by 9:00. Just put that in your pocket and think about it for a minute.
Anyway, I'm ranting. Here are some pictures from the aforementioned wonderful prison.

It is rainy in the tri-state area. When it gets rainy, I get really cozy, and basically dream about food all day long. I'm sure a lot of you relate to this feeling. Being homesick for Disneyland at the same time (can you be homesick for a place that you've only been to once?) I decided to try my hand at the highlight meal of our recent trip.
The four cheese gratin at Disneyland's French Market is a testament to that resorts amazing counter service options. Not only is it cheesy/gooey/salty delicious...it also has a nice portion of cauliflower and shitake mushrooms throughout. It comes with a terrific melange of vegetables on the side, as well as a so so cornbread.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

We've gushed about our love of the ill-tempered duck named Donald on this blog before so I won't go into his character or design. I wouldn't call him my best friend, but we do hang out quite often. Never one to be dissuaded by current trends, he wears what he wants, when he wants and we love him for it. Typically we tour in style in Donald's private Jet/Time Machine and to not disturb the locals, hes always sure to dress the part.

Chilling at Donald's Place 2012 (Did you hear he had Toon Town rebuilt in his yard!?!)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Our preconceived notions about Disney California Adventure had been shaped from years of bad press and word of mouth. Usually we can buck these as bad opinions, but the onslaught was so heavy concerning this park that it was impossible to ignore. We went to California expecting to hate DCA like most good Disney fans...in the same frustrating way that we hate Disney's Hollywood Studios. Small park, nothing to do, and don't like the theming.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Welcome to the beginning of a new fun week here at Disney Hipster Blog! This week is all about Disney California Adventure, in which we will delve into the history and future of this oft maligned park! Welcome friends to DCA WEEK! :)

Hope this experiment in "themed weeks" is as interesting to you, as it will be for us to research. If anybody wants to read about anything in particular, feel free to write to us at Disneyhipsters@gmail.com or on Twitter: @Disneyhipsters

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Ug. In lieu of stewing in our post Disneyland doldrums we've decided to go ahead and book our yearly October trip to Disney World. Nine nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge....savanna view baby! So at least we have something to look forward to all Summer, and we won't have to be our usual depressing selves. :) Here are some fun Disney related posts:

- First of all Passport To Dreams absolutely blew our minds this week with A Musical Souvenir. Go download it now, and thank me later.

Friday, May 11, 2012

I was watching these amazing/silly trailers for re-released Disney movies from the 1980's, and thought "oh goodness! Thats the monorail guy!" I'm much too lazy of a reporter to actually find out the guys name, though I'm sure it is common knowledge in the community. (Full disclosure, using the term Disney community gives me the creeping willies.) I can hear him now, "We are now passing Disney's wedding pavilion..."

Same guy does the Magical Express...right? I love that guy. Though, I think the monorail has been spiel has been updated recently, which sucks majorly. :( Oh well, change happens.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

One of the most unique and amazing things about Disneyland is the tiny treasures that you find in each land. Extensive theming that goes above and beyone the call of imagineers duty. Such is the case of Shrunken Ned, Jungle Witch Doctor.
Sure, The Magic Kingdom in Florida has Shrunken Neds Boats...but they are rather standard remote control boats, with little inspiration. Ned finds himself in a more helpful situation in California, where he displays his wonderful sense of humour in the form of health advise. Just fifty cents will get you a few moments of fun British banter, followed by a card, dispensed at the bottom of the machine.
We had a chance to seek Ned's advise a few times on this recent trip and were quite happy with the outcome.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

This months Animal Kingdom Artifact segment will be put on hold, while we decompress from our Disneyland fever. In its place we have Grand Californian Corner...the Grand Californian being Animal Kingdom Lodges west coast cousin.

We start the series off with a big stone turtle. Yes...big stone turtle. This little wonder is located off of the Fountain Pool, one of three pools at the resort. By the looks of him water must come out of his mouth at some point...though I saw no evidence of this during our stay. Enjoy.

I included a the second shot...so you guys could realize what a huge dork I am....you know, taking photos of big stone turtles and all.

Monday, May 7, 2012

It had been a glorious five years worth of anticipation, but we finally made it out to Disneyland. Our emotions upon entering the resort were a mixed bag of crying (me mostly) and giggling (adam mostly). We felt conflicting feelings that included, but was not limited to, extreme guilt. Were we betraying our beloved project future that is Walt Disney World? Yes...and no.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

So, this week we will begin not with opinions, but with pictures. In the true spirit of this blog here are some fun photos of Disneyland notable icons. We took over 1,600 photos this past week...and trust us, we will use them with gusto. Glad to be back. :)